Nightmare on Grayson's final frights

Roy Brag, San Antonio Express-News

By Roy Bragg

Updated 10:14 am, Thursday, November 1, 2012

Squeaky the Clown participates in a line dance as one of the last crowds gathers at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Squeaky the Clown participates in a line dance as one of the last...

Playing the part of an evil mother, Nicole Martinez, left, provides scary entertainment for one of the last crowds at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Their last shows at the East Grayson Street building will be Friday and Saturday.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Playing the part of an evil mother, Nicole Martinez, left, provides...

Krixuz Jimenez, 2, (cq), gets his photo taken with Leatherface a character from the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, played by Marc Matthesson, as one of the last crowds gathers forNightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. The last two nights will be Friday and Saturday.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Krixuz Jimenez, 2, (cq), gets his photo taken with Leatherface a...

Squeaky the Clown participates in a line dance as one of the last crowds gathers at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Squeaky the Clown participates in a line dance as one of the last...

David Hernandez gets his face painted for his zombie part at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

David Hernandez gets his face painted for his zombie part at...

A group makes its way throug a part of Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Two last nights are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

A group makes its way throug a part of Nightmare on Grayson,...

Nightmare on Grayson manager Gordon Wise, calls out instructions for one of the last crowds, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Two more runs are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Nightmare on Grayson manager Gordon Wise, calls out instructions...

Raven Diamond, right, waits for a group as one of the last crowds gathers at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Raven Diamond, right, waits for a group as one of the last crowds...

Matthew Gonzales waits to provide scary entertainment for one of the last crowds at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Matthew Gonzales waits to provide scary entertainment for one of...

Heather Riddle, left, and Lindi Ragsdale wait to buy tickets for one of the last nights at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Heather Riddle, left, and Lindi Ragsdale wait to buy tickets for...

After the last of the crowds leaves Nightmare on Grayson, employees exit for a group photo, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Friday and Saturday night are the last shows on scheduled.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

After the last of the crowds leaves Nightmare on Grayson, employees...

After the lasts of the crowds leave Nightmare on Grayson, employees gather for a group photo, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Friday and Saturday night are the last shows on scheduled.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

After the lasts of the crowds leave Nightmare on Grayson, employees...

Employees walk back in after gather for a group photo at the end of show at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Friday and Saturday night are the last shows on scheduled.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Employees walk back in after gather for a group photo at the end of...

Jackson Cusack heads to an employees group photo at the end of the show at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Friday and Saturday night are the last shows scheduled.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Jackson Cusack heads to an employees group photo at the end of the...

Michael Kitchen, aka Freddy Krueger, waits for customers at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Friday and Saturday night are the last shows on scheduled.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Michael Kitchen, aka Freddy Krueger, waits for customers at...

Lindsey Dennis and Aubrey Moy, of New Braunsfels, wait their turn at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Friday and Saturday night are the last shows on scheduled.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Lindsey Dennis and Aubrey Moy, of New Braunsfels, wait their turn...

Derrick Johns, aka Rayvn, with Brothers of the Flame perform at Nightmare on Grayson, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. The event is schedule to move out of the East Grayson Street location for the next run. Friday and Saturday night are the last shows on scheduled.

Photo: Jerry Lara, San Antonio Express-News

Derrick Johns, aka Rayvn, with Brothers of the Flame perform at...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on...

Revelers get their Halloween chills and thrills at Nightmare on Grayson on Friday, Oct. 26, 2012.
Photo: Xelina Flores-Chasnoff, For MySA.com

After 24 years of scaring the wits — and occasionally other stuff — out of hundreds of thousands of gluttons for punishment, legendary haunted house Nightmare on Grayson put on its last Halloween show Wednesday night.

There was no kicking to speak of, but Nightmare on Grayson definitely went out with lots of blood-curdling screaming.

A skeptical Kathy Samms was near the front of the line waiting her turn. Sort of. She came at the insistence of husband Larry Samms.

“I don't want to be here right now,” she said. “I'm not a fan of stuff that's going to possibly take years off my life.”

Hubby wasn't worried.

“I enjoy seeing how it works and how other people get into it,” he said. “I don't find it frightening. I find is fascinating.”

The Samms' 30-minute trip through the dark labyrinth went as predicted.

“I think I need some holy water,” she said afterward, laughing nervously. “It was scary.” She turned to her husband. “Weren't you scared?”

“Naw,” he said. “But I thought it was really well done.”

That's sweet but eerie music to the ears of Gordon Wise, Nightmare's director of operations.

“We get those who want to be scared,” said Wise, who's been with the haunted house since 1995. “And we get those who want to see people getting scared.”

Nightmare has done killer business since it opened in 1989. The one-night record, Wise said, was 4,200 people in 2007.

Attendance has been good since management said this would be Nightmare's last Halloween, but overall it's been down for two years. Wise blames the weak economy and a strong Texas Rangers baseball team, which have combined to keep attendance low during the house's limited run.

“In the old days, the investment was small and the overhead was small,” he said. “Now it's reversed. The overhead is ridiculous.”

The arrival of The 13th Floor, a haunted house on East Commerce Street, has made things tougher, Wise admits.

“They put on a good show,” Wise says of his competition. “But this market can't sustain two haunts. Maybe one-and-a-half. Neither of us is doing as well as we should.”

A new breed of commercial haunted houses around the nation provides high-tech scares. Nightmare's staff, Wise said, works hard to keep it simple.

“We are still very low tech,” he said. “We are very theatrically inclined. We're actor-driven. We don't use a lot of electronics. We are very, very old school.”

Like a good grifter, 15-year-veteran Nightmare actor Bruce McColley scans every group that enters his room, looking for a mark. By studying facial ticks and body language, he can within seconds pick out the most easily scared.

He then pounces on the group's weak spot. And that starts a chain reaction.

Raven Diamond, 17, who attends Clark High School, began working at Nightmare two years ago because she wanted acting experience. She plays the Mad Hatter in an Alice In Wonderland scene.

“I have an epic laugh that really scares people,” she said. “It's part scream, part laughter.”

Experience tells her she has three chances to scare people.

Diamond stands quietly behind a curtain in the doorway. When she sees feet at the bottom of the curtain, she lets loose with one of her screams, then jumps back behind a wall. When the group is halfway in, she pops out, screaming and flailing against the plywood walls, then slithers back into the shadows. Sometimes, she drops one more scream on the group's stragglers as they move to the next scene.

Most of the actors have taken punches, pushes and elbows, says Jackson Cusack, who plays a dead miner in the first room. But they give as good they can get.

All of the actors hear scared customers claim they've soiled themselves. Cusack's favorite reaction is when the person in front is so scared, they fall backward, arms outstretched, taking several others with them down the floor.

“That's the best.”

By midnight, the crowds had tapered off. Brothers Arnie and Adrian Del Toro, off-duty firefighters who corral the crowds before they enter, made one last pass down the sidewalk."Nightmare on Grayson ... last call ... last call," Arnie bellowed."We're ready to close," Adrian said.

The final group of Halloween victims to traipse through the smokey black maze entered shortly after midnight. It included Joe Barrientes; son Romeo, 14; and daughter Tytiana, 11. Barrientes married wife Kathy inside of Nightmare on Grayson in 1997.They have celebrated every anniversary there.

"We wanted to do something different," said Kathy Barrientes, who waited outside with their youngest son.

Did they get any weird comments from family or friends about the location they picked?"Yes, we did," she said.

"We still do," her husband added, chuckling.

The last group came out at 12:30 this morning. Wise immediately rounded up the current staff for a picture, with a refurbished 1967 Hearse, across the street. Former staffers were invited, as well as special guests such as the Barrientes family. After 10 minutes, they went back in to clean up and drink beer.

It was the end. Or was it?

Nightmare on Grayson saved the two best surprises for the end. Like any horror film killer, it won't die when it's supposed to die.

While Wednesday was supposed to be the finale, Wise said, Nightmare will be open Friday and Saturday to support a canned food drive. Anyone bringing a can of food gets in for $9, versus the regular admission price of $17.

And sometime this month, Wise and his partners will try to close a deal on a new location. Nightmare will close, but the same cast and crew will rise from the dead in a new, as-yet-unnamed haunted house for Halloween 2013.